Driver Deb

Welcome !!

Pneumonia is super common after surgery, that's why they make you breathe in the spirometer. My mom had a liver transplant and for about 3 weeks after surgery she was having trouble catching her breath. They finally did a chest xray and yep, pneumonia. They tried antibiotics for a week and when that didn't work they used a long needle and drew out approx. 1 liter of fluid !! She has been right as rain since. I wouldn't get all panicked about it...

Cute !!!

I walk, ride my bike and do Kenpo (boxing). I hate exercise too, but I can tolerate these three.

You look 10 years younger !!

They look great !!

I lose weight the same way !!! Nothing for three weeks and then BAM!! 10 pounds gone in a couple days. You are doing great !! Don't get discouraged now, concentrate on other things and when you look again you will be another 70 pounds lighter.

I use fitday.com and like snowbird, it was a rude wake up call to see how much CRAP I was actually putting in my body !!

Every time I want to eat, I log on instead !!!!!

Mine was easy. We talked for about a half hour about my life and my eating habits and I am sure she was looking to see if I was taking personal responsibility for my weight problem... not blaming someone or something else for me being the way I made me... They want to make sure you are making this decision with a clear, sound mind.

It's cheating...

I have NEVER been able to wear a bikini...

I am Pre Op also and my surgeon requires that I keep a food journal. I use fitday.com to track throughout the day then I use a notebook to log my calories, fat, carbs and protein for the day. On the website you can see your progress and identify patterns in your eating and weight loss, using graphs and pie charts etc. that really are helpful.

I prefer the Protein shakes but whatever you prefer...

Protein shake (or slimfast) for Breakfast and lunch and a salad with 3oz. lean meat for dinner.... and LOTS of Water !! Also exercise... I started riding my bike for 5 miles and lost 5 pounds in 3 days !

Ankle weights and (if you have large breasts) a few pounds in the bra works great !!!

I have also heard people say that they drink diet soda, but my surgeon told me specifically not to consume any kind of soda. She said that even diet sodas mess with the blood sugars and make you hungry and that the carbonation is not good for your sleeve. A lot of sleevers do indulge, but I have written all soda off for good.

They will see it when they do the surgery. Go to youtube and watch the videos of a VGS being performed. You will see the liver and that they have to pull it up out of the way because it rests on the stomach.

Wow... the sleeve really did save your life, In more ways than one. I hope everything works out for the best and take care.

You have chosen one of the finest centers to have your surgery. UC Davis is world renowned. Best of luck to you and congratulations !!

I am a firm believer that we create our own reality. We created the "fat world" we have lived in and we create the "failure mode" we set ourselves up for. I have spent the last couple of years working with a life coach who made me realize that if I wanted success, all I had to do was create it. Create it in my mind first, then watch it become reality. If I want happiness, I create it. I make it real in my mind and it radiates out and becomes real. If I want anything to manifest in my life, I have the power to make it happen, simply by believing that I do. It is a beautiful thing, and we are all able to do it... if we make it so. We do not have this power over other people or material objects, but we have free will to create "our world" the way we want it to be. I spent years miserable and unhappy waiting for someone to make my life worth living... never realizing that the someone was me all along. Maybe you can understand and relate to what I am trying to convey. I am so excited for all of us that have chosen to make our realities worth living.

If you could go back and have a different type of WLS, would you? Do you wish you would have done the DS or the RNY??

Mine is a Tanita also and it is the same as my Docs scale and I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond...

Congratulations !! I too am going to be ready for surgery the end of November or early December. I am so excited to have this done during the holidays. I view it as a christmas gift to myself and an early birthday gift too (Jan.). It just happens to be the best time for me to be away from work too, as the winter months are the slowest at work.

I began doing Kenpo for an hour every other day and it is so fun and such a great cardio exercise !! An hour workout flew by so fast it felt like 15 or 20 minutes. Kenpo is a form of Karate that is more like boxing and kickboxing.